Oligomer probe array chips, masks used to produce the same, and hybridization analysis methods using the same

Abstract

Example embodiments may include an oligomer probe array chip based on an analysis-friendly layout. Example oligomer probe array chips may include a substrate, a main array on the substrate having a plurality of sub-arrays in rows or panels, and/or a plurality of alignment spot arrays outside of each of the sub-arrays. The sub-arrays may include a plurality of spots arranged in a matrix to which oligomer probes having different sequences may be attached. Example embodiments may further provide masks for fabricating oligomer probe array chips and hybridization analysis methods of oligomer probe array chips.

1 . An oligomer probe array chip comprising:
 a substrate;   a main array on the substrate, the main array including a plurality of sub-arrays aligned in rows and each of the sub-arrays including a plurality of spots in a matrix form; and   a plurality of oligomer probes, each of the oligomer probes having a unique sequence and attached to a corresponding spot of the plurality of spots.   
   
   
       2 . The oligomer probe array chip of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of sub-array alignment spot arrays on the substrate outside each of the sub-arrays.   
   
   
       3 . The oligomer probe array chip of  claim 2 , wherein a width of each of the sub-arrays is smaller than the product of a unit pixel pitch of a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) scanner scanning the oligomer probe array chip and a number of CCD pixels in the width direction. 
   
   
       4 . The oligomer probe array chip of  claim 3 , wherein the CCD scanner is a Time Delay Integration (TDI) type scanner. 
   
   
       5 . The oligomer probe array chip of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a plurality of global alignment spot arrays separated from the plurality of sub-array alignment spot arrays.   
   
   
       6 . The oligomer probe array chip of  claim 2 , wherein the sub-arrays are separated from each other by spaces. 
   
   
       7 . The oligomer probe array chip of  claim 1 , wherein each of the sub-arrays are separated from each other by cross-shaped spaces to form a plurality of panels of sub-arrays. 
   
   
       8 . The oligomer probe array chip of  claim 7 , wherein a first width of each of the panels of sub-arrays in an x-axis direction is smaller than a product of a unit pixel pitch of a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) scanning the oligomer probe array chip in the x-axis direction and the number of CCD pixels in the x-axis direction and a second width of each of the panels of sub-arrays in a y-axis direction is smaller than a product of a unit pixel pitch of the CCD in the y-axis direction and the number of CCD pixels in the y-axis direction. 
   
   
       9 . The oligomer probe array chip of  claim 8 , wherein the CCD scanner is a step-and-repeat type scanner. 
   
   
       10 . The oligomer probe array chip of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a plurality of global alignment spot arrays outside of the main array.   
   
   
       11 . A mask for forming an oligomer probe array chip, the mask comprising:
 a main array pattern including a plurality of sub-array patterns aligned in rows, each of the sub-array patterns including a plurality of spot patterns in a matrix form; and   a plurality of sub-array pattern alignment spot array patterns on the substrate outside of each of the sub-array patterns.   
   
   
       12 . The mask of  claim 11 , wherein a width of each of the sub-array patterns is smaller than the product of a unit pixel pitch of a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) scanner scanning the oligomer probe array chip and a number of CCD pixels in the width direction. 
   
   
       13 . The mask of  claim 12 , wherein the CCD scanner is a Time Delay Integration (TDI) type scanner. 
   
   
       14 . The mask of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 global alignment spot array patterns separated from the alignment spot array patterns.   
   
   
       15 . The mask of  claim 11 , wherein each of the sub array patterns are separated from each other by spaces. 
   
   
       16 . The mask of  claim 15 , wherein each of the sub-array patterns are separated from each other by cross-shaped spaces so as to form a plurality of panels of sub-array patterns. 
   
   
       17 . The mask of  claim 16 , wherein a first width of each of the panels of sub-array patterns in an x-axis direction is smaller than a product of a unit pixel pitch of a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) scanner scanning the oligomer probe array chip in the x-axis direction and the number of CCD pixels in the x-axis direction and a second width of each of the panels of sub-arrays in a y-axis direction is smaller than a product of a unit pixel pitch of the CCD scanner in the y-axis direction and the number of CCD pixels in the y-axis direction. 
   
   
       18 . The mask of  claim 17 , wherein the CCD scanner is a step-and-repeat type scanner. 
   
   
       19 . The mask of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a plurality of global alignment spot array patterns outside of the main array pattern.   
   
   
       20 . A hybridization analysis method of an oligomer probe array chip, the hybridization analysis method comprising:
 repeatedly determining a position of each sub-array of a plurality of sub-arrays of the oligomer probe array chip;   forming an image of each of the sub-arrays with a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) scanner; and   aligning a plurality of the sub-array images to form a single hybridization image.   
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein repeatedly determining the position of each sub-array is based on a plurality of sub-array alignment spot arrays outside of a main array of the oligomer probe array chip and wherein the CCD scanner is a Time Delay Integration (TDI) type CCD scanner. 
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein forming the image of each sub-array includes overlapping at least one spot column of the sub-arrays using a plurality of images of adjacent sub-arrays. 
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 determining a position of the main array by performing global alignment using a plurality of global alignment spot arrays separated from the plurality of sub-array alignment spot arrays to determine a position of the main array before repeatedly determining the position of each sub-array.   
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein repeatedly determining the position of each sub-array is based on spaces between each of the sub-arrays and wherein the CCD scanner is a step-and-repeat type CCD scanner. 
   
   
       25 . The hybridization analysis method of  claim 24 , wherein forming the image of each of the sub-arrays includes overlapping at least one spot column of the sub-arrays and at least one spot row of the sub-arrays using a plurality of images of adjacent sub-arrays. 
   
   
       26 . The hybridization analysis method of  claim 25 , further comprising:
 determining a position of a main array of the oligomer probe array chip by performing global alignment using a plurality of global alignment spot arrays outside the main array before repeatedly determining the position of each of the sub-arrays.